NeoFill Blog

Tis’ the Holiday season which is the time for Family, Friends, and deeply discounted items from retailers trying to get you to purchase from their store.  The two big days you will hear about incessantly over the next few weeks is Black Friday (the day after Thanksgiving) and Cyber Monday (the Monday after the Thanksgiving weekend).

We all know what Black Friday is, but the Cyber Monday has evolved over the past 10 years as a time when people get back to work after the Holidays and start searching for deals on their office computer.  While Cyber Monday really does happen, I believe the specific day is already outdated because consumers are ALWAYS looking for better deals online, as well as deeply discounted items they can snatch up before some else does.

So I had an idea which I tested last week with great success, to make every Monday in the Holiday Season a Cyber Monday.  Whether you consider it to be true or not, you are a retailer of items which you can discount and be timely and current while doing it.

In the scenario we did last week, a market had 72 items which were not moving very quickly and not making them any revenue.  So we created a Cyber Monday Deal and reduced the price for one day only, and made sure we highlighted the immediacy of it.  The result…sold 72 certificates in hours and made $1000 in revenue.  Needless to say they are continuing to do it every Monday going forward.

So look at your inventory and see what deal with inventory makes sense to do this Cyber Monday program.  It’s a great way to make some quick revenue and be in the Holiday spirit of retail, as well as avoiding saying “Clearance” of items which some are reluctant to do.

If you would like more information, please contact Chris at chris@neofill.com.

Did you start a Facebook fan page expecting thousands to flock to it but instead the proverbial crickets are chirping? You make posts but no one likes it or comments. And since Facebook’s algorithm, known as Edge Rank, determines how many people see your posts based on your fan page engagement, those likes and comments are extremely important. That’s why I’ve put together these 10 easy tips for more Facebook fan page engagement:

1. As a general rule of thumb, always keep posts short and easy to read.

2. Create questions of the day/poll of the day, but make sure responding is easy. (i.e. one word answers)

3. Hot Tip/ Quick tip. This should be something related to your fan page. Hot Saving Tip: Get this appetizer while using your deal… that sort of thing.

4. Breaking News. “Deal Alert: $50 for $25 at…”

5. Did you know…? With something like this, everytime you post it would start with “Did you know…” same with breaking news, it will teach people what to look for in their news feed.

6. Fill in the blank! (i.e. Fill in the blank! My favorite auction item was ___________?)

7. “Click like if…” statements always work great with statements that people feel strongly about. “Click LIKE if you are happy it’s Friday!

8. Guess the caption. Post this with a interesting picture. photo’s in general do the best with any kind of post, so if you got it, use it.

9. Don’t forget consistency. Marketing Mondays/Tech Tuesdays/Wacky Wednesdays, etc.

10. Also asking for your fans opinion on things is great for marketing research. So if you’re wondering what people would think, just ask them.

Variety is the spice of life, so changing it up from day to day and post to post is really important. And don’t be afraid about asking people to do something. They need prompts, so put stuff like “click like if you agree” or “Click Here to…” you will get a much higher fan engagement.

The most important thing to remember is test, test and more testing. Every fan page is different so test out different times, content, and frequency of posts. Then check the fan pages stats to see what is working and what’s not.

Feel free to leave a comments or questions, I’d love to hear them!

The holidays are coming quickly and the timing has never been more perfect to generate some extra revenue! But you may be feeling a little to overwhelmed by the hustle and bustle to think of successful auction ideas. Well here are three great holiday themed auctions to springboard your ideas!

1. The Holiday Experience Auction

Nothing sounds more enticing than a Holiday get away, so create the Holiday Experience Auction featuring great stays and good eats! Offer:

• Hotel Stays & Dinners
• Ski & Hotel Packages
• Concert Packages

Revenue example: In a past Holiday Experience Auction, 25 Ski & Spa Packages sold for an average of 42% over retail value.

2. The 12 Days of Christmas Auction

The anticipation and waiting for Christmas is half the fun! So why not build excitement for a few weeks before Christmas and auction off new items daily.  Five golden rings could work, but here are a few more suggestions:

• A New Vehicle
• Vacation Packages
• Home Theater System
• Shopping Sprees
• Appliances

Revenue example: A 2012 Ford Focus, which was $20,585 retail value, sold for $16,125 generating 78% return.

3. Stocking Stuffer Package Auction

I don’t know about you, but I always liked to open my stuffed stocking first! Create the ultimate stocking stuffer by packaging special deals together as one item and make filling those over sized stockings even easier!

• Concert ticket package to several concerts
• A jewelry store certificate with Jewelry Cleaning
• Spa certificates and massage session
• 4 sporting event tickets and a local restaurant gift certificate
• A gift package filled with multiple items from a merchant

Revenue example: A concert ticket package, retailed at $540, sold for $470 generating an 87% return.

Ahh, it’s that time of year again. The brisk mornings, trees exploding with color and all the falling leaves. Yes! It’s time for fall clean up – of deals that is!  Here are a few steps to follow that will help generate sales from your leftover deals:

1. Change a promotions name from just the merchant name to what the deal actually is. This more detailed description in the deals name helps push sales because people will know what they’re buying before clicking through.
2. Change your automatic newsletters subject line to the deal descriptions in your Newsletter settings. Similar to the previous point, but this helps people know exactly what they’re opening.
   ** IMPORTANT NOTE Be sure to change the subject line back or it will continue to send out with the same subject line.
   
3. Produce a manual newsletter highlighting exactly what the deal is and link it directly to the promotion page.
4. Use a promotional code to give a discount on select items or the entire site.
5. Discount select promotions outright. Sometimes a deal that has not sold well at one price, will move quickly at a lower price point.
6. Send an HTML based newsletter to your database highlighting a code or the reduced pricing. This has proven EXTREMELY effective.